Railway signaling.



E. F. BLISS.

RAILWAY SIGNALING. APPLICATION FILED APR. 10. m3.

FIG 1 POLARIZED WlTNESSE ml: COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPH co WASHINGTON, u. c.

Patented Mar. 14,1916.

- INVENTOR ELMER F. BLISS, 0F SGHENEGTADY, NEW] YORK, .ASSIGNOR, BY ME$NE ASSEGNMENTS,

TO THE UNION SWITCH AND SIGNAL COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

RAILWAY SIGNALING.

Patented Mar. id, 1916.

Original application filed August 26, 1909, Serial No. 514,682. Divided and this application filed April 10,

1913. Serial No. 760,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER F. Buss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Schenectady in the county of Schenectady and State 0 'New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway Signaling, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to block signal systems for single track sections between stations. a

The present application is a division of my application filed August 26, 1909, Serial No. 514,682.

Such systems are ordinarily so arranged that the cooperation of the operators at both stations is necessary to set the signals for traffic in either direction. My system is also thus arranged. In such systems, however, when track relays are employed for throwing the signal to stop when a train enters the block, it has been necessary, if a second train is to follow the first, for both operators to cooperate again to set the signal to admit the second train. With my system such cooperation ior a second train is rendered unnecessary. After the signals have oncebeen set for trafiic in a given direction, the operator at the entrance of the block can admit as many trains as he wishes without calling upon the operator at the other end. To reverse the direction of trafllc, however, the cotiperation of both operators is required.

On long single track sections with sidings, it is frequently desirable that a slow train should run part way through the section and then take a siding to allow a fast train to pass in one direction or the other.

My invention comprises an arrangement such that, when a train has entered a siding, the switches for the siding are locked, so as to prevent the train from leaving it, if the direction of tratlic is reversed, but as long as the signals are set for the direction oi the traliic to which the train on the siding is headed, the siding switches are unlocked, so that the train on the siding may leave whenever the usualswitch indicators show that the track is cleared.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 shows d agrammatically a block signal system arranged in accordance with my invention, and Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 1, A. and B represent two stations connected by a single track section. The arrangement of apparatus at both stations is identical, the same reference letters being, used to indicate the same apparatus except that the reference letters for the station E are primed. C represents the signal at Station A governing the admission of trains to the single track section from that station. 6 represents a track battery and c a track relay. D represents a battery for furnishing current for the signal C and for the control circuits. E represents a stick relay having a winding 6 for closing its contacts and a winding 6 for maintaining the contacts closed. F represents a second stick relay. G, H and I represent push buttons. G has a normally open back contact, H a normally closed front and normally open back contact, and I a normally closed front contact. J represents a signal lever controlling the signal 0 by means of a contact K controlled by the lever or by the lever latch. The connections between levers J and J and contacts K and K are indicated in dash lines. As far as the signal C alone I apparatus, 1 have shown the signal con- 7 trolled by a lever such as is ordinarily employed in interlocking machines. Z2 represents a battery connected to a track circuit on a siding between stations. L represents a magnet connected to the track circuit taking the place of the usual track relay. M represents a polarized relay connected in a line Wire, the circuit of which is controlled by relays E and E. When relay E is energized and relay E is de'elnergized, as shown, the left-hand end of the line wire is connected to the lower terminal of battery D and its right-hand end to the upper terminal of this battery. If relay E were energized and relay E deenergized, the right-hand terminal of the wire would be connectedto the lower terminal of the battery D and the leftdiand end of the line wire to the other terminal of this battery. Relays E and E are operated,one being energized and the other deenergized, whenever the direction of trailic 1S reversed. Consequently, the

current in the line wire to which polarized magnet M is connected is reversed when,- ever the direction of traffic is changed. Magnet L and relay M together control the switch loclr'magnets N supplied from the battery 0. The manner of this control and its purpose will be described later.

The apparatus is shown in the position occupiec for admitting a train from station A to the single track section. Normally relays E, E, F and F, are deenergized and both levers J and J stand in the normal position in which lever J is shown in the drawing. In order to clear signal C at station A, as shown, it was necessary for the operator at station A to depress pushbutton H at the same .time that the operator atstation B depressed push-button G, A circuit was thereupon closed from the lower terminal of battery D, through the middle finger and back contact of relay E, through puslrbutton G, through the upper contact of push-button H, relay 0, upper contact of track relay 0, lower contact of push-button H, winding 6, and puslrbutton I. back to the upper terminal of battery D. The track between stations being clear andthe track relays c and c energized, the circuit just traced en'er' gized winding .2 and caused relay E to close the contacts. As soon as its contacts were closed a second circuit was closed from lower terminal of battery D, throughthe middle finger and front contact of relay E,

winding 6, push-button l to upper terminal of battery D. In other words, a maintaining circuit was closed which includes as contacts only contacts of the relay E itself and push-button, I, so that the deenergization of stick relay E iswholly under the control of the operator at station A. The closing of thismaintaining circuit required the coiiperation of both operators, but its opening is under the sole control of the opera tor at station A. Relay E having been energized, the operator at station A moved the lever J from normal to the reverse position in which it is shown in the drawing. This movement brought the contact K from the dash line position to the position shown in full lines in which it is in engagement with contact In the first part of this movement, when contact K engaged contact 70, a circuit was closed from the upper terminal of battery D, through contacts is and K, winding of relay F,'upper finger of relay E and middle finger of track relay 0 to the lower terminal of battery D. This circuit energized relay F and caused it to close its contacts. Although the circuit which has just been traced was opened by the continuation of the movement of lever J, relay F was not deenergized since its conupper contact of track 7 tacts formed a maintaining circuit for itself ,in shunt to the contact if. 'When lever J of track relay 0 to battery D. Signal C, is

consequently, cleared to admit a train.

As soon as the train enters the single track section, track relay 0 is deenergized and its lower contact opens the circuit of signal and of stick relay F, so that signal G goes to stop and stick relay E is deenergized. After the train has left the track circuit and relay 0 is again energized, signal C does not clear automatically, since its circuit is open at the contacts of stick relay F. In order to clear signal C and admit a second train the operator at station A must thr w the lever J back to normal position so as to bring contact K into engagement with contact is and thereby to energize relay F and then returnlever J to reverse position, as shown, so as to return contact K into engagement with contact 76; The operator at station A must thus shift his lever each time train is to be admitted. He does not, however, require the cooperation of the operator at station 5',

since relay E remains energized. I in other words, the operator at station E having once cooperated to energize relay E, the direction of tr'ailic'is established from A to B and remains established until it is released by the operator at stationii pressing down push button I to open the maintaining circuit of relay EL It will be noted that the circuit establishing the energization of relay E passes through a back contact'of relay E and'vice versa, so that when one of these relays has once been energized the other cannot be energized until thefirst has been deenergized again. 1 It will be noted in passing that .l have indicated signal 0 as a home signal controlled. only by the track section comprising battery 7) and track relay 0. It will be understood, however, that I do not-confine myself to this one signal at each station, but that additional signaling devices may, if desired, be employed at the stations or elsewhere for giving any'desired'information regarding the presence or absence of trains in any part of the section. Such arrangements are well known in the art and form no part of my invention and I have, therefore, omitted them in order to reduce the drawing to its simplest terms.

The train having been admitted to the single track section at station A may proceed through the section to section B, or may take the siding to allow another train to pass,-either in the same or in the opposite direction. When the train entersthe siding,

magnet L is deenergized. This in itself has no effect on the lock magnets N which remain energized, so that if the direction of traiiic is not changed the train is free to leave whenever the usual switch indicators S, S, indicate that the track is clear. These indicators are controlled by the track relays c and c in the usual and well known manner. If, however, while the train is on the siding, the direction of traffic is reversed, that is, relay E is de'energized and relay E energized so as to put signal G at stop and clear signal 0, the direction of current through polarized relay M is reversed, as has heretofore been explained. The armature of relay M then tends to move to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, but is prevented from moving to that position by the hook on the armature of magnet L, which, when magnet L is deenergized, moves into the path of the armature of relay M, as shown in Fig. 2. The armature of relay M moves far enough, however, to open the circuit of lock magnets N so that the switches are locked and the train on the siding is prevented from leaving until the direction of traffic, and, consequently, the current in relay M is again reversed.

Magnet L and relay M cooperate to control a train on the siding properly for either direction of movement. If the train had originally been admitted from station E, relay M would have occupied the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, and when the train ran on to the siding and deenergized magnet L, the armature of this magnet would then have locked the armature of re-- lay M so as to prevent it from moving to the full line position, though allowing it to move far enough to open the circuit of the switch lock magnets upon a reversal of traffie, so as to hold the train on the siding until the direction of traflic was again reversed.

I do not desire to limit myself to the particular connections and arrangement of parts shown and described, but aim in the appended claims to cover all modifications which are within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a block signal system for single track sections, having sidings between sta tions, signals at opposite ends of a section, signal controlling means at the two stations cooperating to set the signals for trafiic in &

either direction but not in both, and means controlled by a train in the siding and by said signal controlling means for locking the siding switches upon an operation of said signal controlling means to reverse the. direction of trailic while the siding is occupied.

2. In a block signal system for single track sections having sidings between stations, signals at opposite ends of a section, signal controlling means at the two stations cooperating to set the signals for traiiic in either direction but not in both, a normally energized switch lock magnet at a siding,

and means controlled by a train in the sid-' ing and by said signal controlling means for deenergizing said magnet upon an operation of said signal controlling means to reverse the direction of trafiic while the siding is occupied, and for maintaining it denergized until the signal controlling means are again operated to restore the original direction of traii'ic.

3. In a block signal system for single track sections having siding's between stations, signals at opposite ends of a section, signal controlling means at the two stations cooperating to set the signals for tra'liic in either direction but not in both, a magnet included in a track circuit on a siding, said signal controlling means being independent of control by said magnet, a relay controlled by said signal controlling means, and a switch lock magnet controlled by said track magnet and said relay.

4. In a block signal system for single track sections having sidings between stations, signals at opposite ends of a section, signal controlling means at the two stations cooperating to set the signals for traffic in either direction but not in both, a track circuit on a siding including a magnet, a line wire extending through the section in which the current is reversed when said signal controlling means are operated to reverse the direction of traiiic, a polarized relay at the siding connected to said line wire, and a switch lock magnet at the siding controlled by said track magnet and said polarized relay.

ELMER F. BLISS.

Witnesses BENJAMIN B. HULL, HELEN Onronn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

